JUPITER, Fla. (AP) — The offseason has been a whirlwind for suddenly famous St. Louis Cardinals third baseman David Freese. After rocketing to stardom as the NL championship series and World Series MVP, the team’s No. 6 hitter got the red carpet treatment all over.

There was a late-night sitdown with David Letterman, an appearance on the Country Music Awards and countless interviews.

Around Thanksgiving, he decided that baseball would always come first. The celebrity appearances didn’t halt completely, but Freese had his priorities straight. He arrived at spring training a few days early, ready to work on an encore for a magical October that probably can’t be topped.